Category: international

China expressed strong dissatisfaction and opposition towards the US use of force to attack China's civilian unmanned airship, Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Sunday in a statement.

President Biden said he had ordered the military to shoot it down on Wednesday in internal discussions preceding the public disclosure. Military leaders had recommended waiting because of fear of falling debris on civilian population underneath.

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday accused the coalition government of the country of using the recent wave of terrorism to gain "political mileage" for its own benefit, local media reported.

The United States has postponed Secretary of State Antony Blinken's upcoming visit to Beijing over a Chinese surveillance balloon floating over America, calling it a "clear and unacceptable violation of national sovereignty (of the United States) and international laws".

The Pakistani rupee on Friday plunged to a historic low against the US dollar after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is giving Pakistan "a tough time" - as the lender wants the government to do more on the economic front, local media reported.

The foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) have plunged to precarious levels as the cash-strapped nation desperately seeks to revive the stalled bailout programme of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), local media reported.

The Pakistani rupee resumed its downwards slide on Thursday after two modest sessions as the "optimism surrounding the government and IMF talks scaled back", local media reported.

India's National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and US Deputy Defence Secretary Kathleen Hicks discussed strengthening coordination between the militaries of the two countries in the face of the threat from China.

The US will provide advanced training for an Indian astronaut and the two countries will cooperate on planetary defence against dangerous asteroids and comets, according to the White House.

"The US and India affirm that the ways in which technology is designed, developed, governed and used should be shaped by our shared democratic values and respect for universal human rights," said a White House factsheet issued on the outcomes of the inaugural meeting.

The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has taken responsibility for the attack, the report said. The Peshawar mosque attack is by far the biggest in the serious of attacks that TTP has been conducting targeting the security forces and their installations.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has sacked the Conservative party chair, Nadhim Zahawi, after he was found to have breached the ministerial code by failing to declare the HMRC investigation into his tax affairs, the media reported.

The vehicle carrying 48 passengers was proceeding towards Karachi from Quetta, Lasbela Assistant Commissioner Hamza Anjum, was quoted as saying by Dawn.

During her visit, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland will lead the US delegation to the annual foreign office consultations "which cover the full range of bilateral, regional, and global issues", the Department said on Friday.

Chandigarh-born Harmeet Dhillon has lost her bid to head the Republican National Committee (RNC) despite a spirited fight against the US party's establishment that drew broad support.

The Pakistani currency maintained a freefall for a second consecutive day, plunging by a fresh 4.78 per cent (or Rs 12.87) to a new all-time low of Rs 268.30 against the US dollar on Friday, media reports said.

US President Joe Biden has nominated Indian-American astronaut Raja Chari on the moon mission team for promotion to an Air Force brigadier general, according to the Defence Department.

Indian-American Harmeet Dhillon, who is mounting an insurgent campaign against the party's leadership, is picking up support in her bid to head the party at a pivotal moment when former President Donald Trump's future hangs in the balance.

Following the rupee's devaluation in the open and interbank markets, the benchmark index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) rallied and gained by more than 1,000 points, as per media reports.

India will remain the fastest-growing major economy recording a growth of 5.8 per cent this year, while the rest of the world will grow by a paltry 1.9 per cent, the UN said on Thursday.

Pakistan's former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry was on Wednesday arrested in Lahore after being declared as an absconder by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

According to preliminary information, a number of houses were either destroyed or damaged in various parts of the two districts as a result of the earthquake, measuring 5.9 Richter scale, with its epicentre in Bajura district of western Nepal at 2.43 p.m. (local time).

At least 10 people were killed, and another 10 injured, in a shooting on Saturday night in California's Monterey Park city, where thousands of people had gathered for the Lunar New Year festival, as per local police, reports said.

The police on Friday announced a $20,000 reward for the capture of three suspects wanted in the killing of Patro Siboram on Tuesday morning when he was working during the night shift.

Pakistan shipping agents have forewarned the government that all export cargoes could come to a halt as foreign shipping lines are considering stopping their services for the countryafter banks stopped remitting freight charges to them for lack of dollar availability.